How does a Motherboard detect a CPU/Cooler Change

Vidya · 19 Nov 2012 at 22:38

Hey,

I just changed the cooler on my CPU and to clean thermal paste off i took the CPU out, I put it back in installed the cooler etc and booted up

I got "New CPU installed, please enter setup yada yada"

I was just wondering, how does a motherboard know you've took your CPU out and put it back in, or did I get this message because the cooler changed?

MagicBoy · 19 Nov 2012 at 22:40

The former.

Vidya · 19 Nov 2012 at 22:41

MagicBoy said:
The former.

How did it know I had taken it out and put it back in, I've done this before and nothing happened

MagicBoy · 19 Nov 2012 at 22:42

It's nothing to do with the cooler.

supergluechris · 19 Nov 2012 at 22:57

Vidya said:
How did it know I had taken it out and put it back in, I've done this before and nothing happened

The motherboard is a magical one. All knowing!

Vidya · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:04

Seriously I want to understand the innerworkings of its mind!

Jinxter · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:08

Maybe there's some sort of sensor on the ZIF lever ? Or maybe a circuit is broken upon removal of the chip. Clever things are motherboards!

olivier renault · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:12

you unplugged the PSU?

MagicBoy · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:13

I think he probably didn't.

vmondude · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:13

It's a brain boggler indeed! The magical wonders of the circuit world

Rooster212 · 19 Nov 2012 at 23:33

I would think it is a switch that is activated using the lever or something, that is pretty cool though, didn't know any motherboards had this functionality!

Vidya · 20 Nov 2012 at 13:37

IT knows all

Durzel · 20 Nov 2012 at 16:11

I'd hazard a guess that the CMOS stores some sort of hash/microcode for the last CPU that the system booted with.

edit: That wouldn't explain the same CPU triggering it though

Vidya · 21 Nov 2012 at 22:50

I wish someone knew